Bates Allies Spring Progam

The Athletics Committee and the Athletic Department bring you Pride Week Movie Night

Thursday, May 10^th 7:30 p.m.
     Keck Room, G52 Pettengill Hall, Bates College

Training Rules

                                                       

Training Rules (2009) uses the case of former Penn State Women’s Basketball coach Rene Portland—who coached for over 25 years with the explicit rule “No drinking, no drugs, no lesbians”—to look at the devastation caused by homophobia in women’s sports.

A panel discussion on understanding and challenging homophobia in college sports will follow the one-hour film.

Co-sponsored by OUTFront, the Office of Intercultural Education, Women and Gender Studies, and the Bates College Library

Bates Swimming Update

Just a quick note to update you on the season. With over 60 athletes on the team right now the coaching has been very busy - and not as good at 'meet recaps' as I had hoped! Needless to say, below is a great article on Tom Boniface, our senior captain. Earlier this year he was chosen as the Division III swimmer of the week by CollegeSwimming.com. The highest honor possible. Last week his 1:46.0 victory in the 200 free against Bowdoin, coupled with his 53 in the 100 fly against Colby the following day, led him to "NESCAC Swimmer of the Week" honors! The really great thing about the 100 fly is that Tom rarely swims that event - he specializes in the 100/200 free and 200 IM. Also, with 3 events remaining we had a 2 point lead over Colby when Tom stepped up. He dove in and led his fellow teammates to a 1-2-3 sweep that secured the victory for us. It was a tremendous moment in the meet - and as the head coach, I couldn't have asked for more from my captain.

This semester has been very good so far. In my five years at Bates we experienced 2 NESCAC Swimmers of the Week awards prior to this January... and now we have received that honor our past two weekends. Simply put, these are a big deal for us. Being honored in the best swimming conference in the country is something we take seriously. For years the team has seen me post NESCAC Swimmer of the Week honors won by other programs - always with extraordinarily talented individuals and times. It is great to see Bates on the bulletin board now, and they are starting to believe we are part of that elite group.

As for the whole team... well, our men beat Midd for the first time in 21 years January 8th. I have gotten a few messages from alums that were on that team. Very cool! Both teams also took down Colby last weekend in convincing fashion, which always feels good. Our meet against Bowdoin looks lopsided with them winning handily, but to be honest I am very happy with how we performed. It was our second week of school and a Friday night dual meet after a full day of classes. Bowdoin arrived Wed from their training trip to a quiet campus on break, and you could tell their focus was pinpoint by the time we arrived. We had over 70 in-season bests in a losing cause... unfortunately, Bowdoin just looked amazing. We'll see how things fair at conferences (and we clearly have our work cut out for us if we are going to catch them) but I like where we are after a meet in the middle of January - and I like the trajectory we are heading in!

That's enough for now! Take care and have a great day!

In Bates,

Coach Casares

Boniface named NESCAC Swimmer of the Week

Posted by: Andy Walter on January 23, 2012

Tom Boniface '12 claimed NESCAC Men's Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week honors on Jan. 23, 2012. (File photo)

HADLEY, Mass. — Bates senior captain Tom Boniface was named NESCAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Performer of the Week today by the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Boniface (Youngstown, Ohio) won two events in Saturday’s home dual-meet win over Colby, touching the wall first in both the 100-yard freestyle (48.90 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (53.81). He also swam a leg in Bates’ first-place 200 free relay squad (21.8).

The previous night at Bowdoin, Boniface recorded a season-best and winning time of 1:46.03 in the 200 freestyle.

Earlier this season, Boniface was named a Division III national swimmer of the week by collegeswimming.com.

View the NESCAC Swimming & Diving weekly release.

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes
Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do
I tidied up my point of view
I got a new attitude

Patti LaBelle – New Attitude

Dear Bates Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,

With Clayton Spencer recently appointed as the college’s 8^th president, our community seems to have a new attitude too and is poised to enter a pivotal and exciting era! It is a future filled with challenges, but as president-elect Spencer noted in her introductory address, “Part of the task ahead is, therefore, to embrace with energy and confidence what the college already does so well, even as we challenge ourselves — always — to do better. Athletics at Bates lives this approach and with that in mind, I want to take a quick look back at some of the things we did well this past fall and then look ahead to that which we can do better heading into the winter sports seasons.

Some notable successes from the first half of the year include: the solidification of “Getting It Done”, a peer mentoring program with upper class student-athletes counseling other athletes - mainly first-year students - about properly balancing academics, athletics and college life in general; a 2nd Athletics-led Bates Allies event held in conjunction with National Coming Out Day that saw nearly 1000 members of our community sign the Allies Pledge to respect and welcome all persons; the initiation of an ongoing, year-long leadership training program for all captains/team leaders; and the hosting of the 1st-ever Bates L/A Community Day featuring Lewiston/Auburn families invited to our home athletic contests, free coaches clinics for kids, tours of the campus, youth football games played on Garcelon Field, and local vendors sponsoring pumpkin decorating, face painting, giveaways, etc. Athletics also designated the Community Day as a fund-raiser for the Horn of Africa Famine Relief Effort and generated $600 that was contributed toward that cause.

On the competitive front, Men’s Cross Country finished 7^th in the country at the NCAA National Championships; Football won stirring victories over Williams, Tufts and Bowdoin and a share of the CBB title; the Men’s and Women’s Rowing teams both had excellent races at the Head of the Charles Regatta and swept the CBB chase. Additionally, Head Men’s Cross Country Coach Al Fereshetian was named NESCAC Coach of the Year, several Football, Men’s & Women’s Soccer and Field Hockey players were honored with All-NESCAC selections and Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Peter Lasagna was inducted into the Rochester Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Lastly, the fall saw the debut of the newest Bates head coaches: Kelsy Ross for Women’s Soccer and Margo Linton for Volleyball.

The winter sports programs have gotten underway successfully and the Bobcats continue to feature one of the broadest arrays of winter programs anywhere including: Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Men’s & Women’s Indoor Track, Men’s & Women’s Alpine and Nordic Skiing, Men’s & Women’s Squash, and Men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving. In terms of that which we can do better, every participant on each of these teams expects to improve her/himself athletically, to surpass last year’s team achievements and to do all of this while excelling in their academic endeavors.

Your recognition of and support for their efforts, contributes immeasurably to their ability to succeed in all of these facets. Furthermore, by attending their events whenever possible, you personally affirm that the community recognizes and appreciates the dedication required to compete in a sport at this level while at the same time working to be the best student possible. You can view the winter sports schedule at http://www.bates.edu/sports-schedule.xml . Also, many of the contests will be webcast and you can find that schedule at: Bobcat Webcasts.

So let’s grab some of Patti LaBelle’s new attitude by “feelin’ good from our head to our shoes” about where Bates is headed, about what we do so well, and challenge ourselves to do better! Thank you and best wishes for the New Year!

Kevin McHugh

Director of Athletics

Baseball Winter Update

Dear Bobcats Baseball Alumni, Parents, and Friends,

I hope that this letter finds you well as we approach the holidays and the end of 2011. At this time last year I was just taking over as the new head coach; I was trying harness the momentum our program had built and continue to progress. I can say without a doubt that we have not only continued the momentum of the past few years but have elevated our program to a new level. Now, looking forward to the 2012 season, I thought it was an appropriate time to talk to you about where the Bates baseball program has been over the last few years and where I am looking to take it.

The past two seasons have been two of the most successful years in the long history of the baseball program. Over the past two years the Bobcats baseball team has compiled a record of 46-26, the best two year span in school history. The 2011 team played the 10th hardest schedule in all of Division III which included games in Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA. To build on that success, the 2012 schedule will feature the most games in Bates history (40) and include games in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Darien, CT. To see our schedule you can go to, http://www.bates.edu/athletics/schedule/, you can also check out our website at http://www.bates.edu/baseball/. Like many of the things we are doing with our program, the scope and the strength of our schedule has helped distinguish ourselves from many of our NESCAC opponents.

A very unique characteristic of our program is the geographic diversity of the team. Sixteen different states will be represented on the 2012 roster. To accomplish this I have spent a lot of time and resources on the recruiting trail. This summer my travels took me to California, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana, as well as all of the New England states. Our academic reputation precedes me everywhere that I go, but our recent success on the baseball field has allowed me to begin the recruiting conversation with players from all over the country. They now understand that Bates is not only a prestigious institution, it also has a great baseball program.

As our program has grown, so has the need to improve our facilities. In 2011 Leahey Field received phase one of our field upgrades with a new scoreboard and improved fencing. It is my hope that we will soon be able to begin phase two of the Leahey Field upgrades which will include a new backstop, with improved seating, and an artificial playing surface. Recently, we have also significantly upgraded the Gray Cage to make it a better indoor baseball facility. We now have two 70 foot cages that are 18 feet high and 15 feet wide. Both big enough for us to have our hitters face live pitching during the preseason. In addition to the batting cage upgrades we have also installed a permanent clay mound in one of the cages which enables our pitchers to throw off a real mound prior to our first game. Although there are still a few more upgrades that I would like to see take place, I feel as if the improvements we have made have significantly enhanced the experience of our student-athletes and have given us some of the best baseball facilities in the NESCAC.

As good as the past two seasons have been I feel that the best years of Bates baseball are still ahead of us. I believe that we are closer than ever to our first appearance in the NESCAC tournament. From there we have our sights on the New England Regional, and one day a trip to Appleton, WI for the Division III World Series. These goals may seem lofty, but I can assure you that each and every one of our players and I believe that we are within reach. I am going to continue to work as hard as I possibly can to give these players the best possible baseball experience here at Bates, and help take our program to new heights.

There are some exciting events coming up in which you can be a part of; we would love to have you join the baseball team and the Bates community in these fun events. On February 25, 2012, there will be a Baseball dinner for alumni, in Atlanta, Georgia. On April 29, 2012, we will be attending a Portland Sea Dogs game at 1pm, at Hadlock Field. Later that evening, Bates Baseball will be playing Colby at Hadlock Field as well. The game will start at 5pm; it would be fantastic to see you there supporting the program. If you like to catch up with old teammates and old friends, the 3rd Annual Bates Baseball Golf Outing will be taking place on July 23, 2012, at the Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson, MA.

It is my hope that as our program continues to grow, so will our support from alumni, parents, and friends. Your financial support allows us to make this a first class experience for our student-athletes. In order to continue playing a competitive schedule with travel, recruiting nationally, and improving the baseball facilities here at Bates we will need to raise money above our annual operating budget. In the 2011-2012 year we will spend close to $50,000 in student travel, $15,000 in facility upgrades, and an additional $2,000 in recruiting. All of this is in addition to our normal operating costs of equipment, assistant coach salaries, uniforms, umpires, etc. If you are already a consistent supporter of the Bates baseball program I hope that you will continue to support us and for those who have not supported in the past I hope that you will consider doing so in the future. http://www.community.bates.edu/fba

This is an extremely exciting time for Bates College and Bates athletics. I have been so impressed with the level of commitment from Bates to athletics and see no limit to what our student-athletes can achieve in the classroom and on the field. I am going to continue to strive for excellence with our baseball program and I look forward to having your support along the way.

All the Best,



Mike Leonard
Head Baseball Coach/Leadership Coordinator
Bates College
dleonard@bates.edu
(207) 786-6063

Bates Fall All-NESCAC Awards

All-Academic
Zachary Abbott Men's Golf All-Academic
Merrill Brady Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Michelle Brady Field Hockey All-Academic
Amanda Brusca Field Hockey All-Academic
Jaimie Cappucci Women's Soccer All-Academic
Sara Chari Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Sean Colligan Men's Cross Country All-Academic
Lindsay Cullen Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Devin Dilts Men's Cross Country All-Academic
Casey Dropkin Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Rebecca Dugan Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Alicia Fannon Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Chris Gillespie Men's Soccer All-Academic
Brian Goldberg Men's Soccer All-Academic
Logan Greenblatt Men's Cross Country All-Academic
Rosemary Hale Women's Soccer All-Academic
Garrett Johnson Men's Golf All-Academic
Ryan March Men's Soccer All-Academic
Bridget Meedzan Field Hockey All-Academic
Polly Merck Field Hockey All-Academic
Sarah Merullo Field Hockey All-Academic
Katherine Nixon Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Tessa Pals Women's Golf All-Academic
Graham Pearsall Men's Cross Country All-Academic
Alie Philip Field Hockey All-Academic
Wallis Pierce Women's Soccer All-Academic
Julia Rafferty Women's Soccer All-Academic
Lisa Reedich Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Kevin Regan Football All-Academic
Samantha Rose Women's Soccer All-Academic
Nicole Santosuosso Field Hockey All-Academic
Anabel Schmelz Women's Soccer All-Academic
Natalie Shribman Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Amanda Sirianni Women's Soccer All-Academic
Kara Stefaniak Women's Soccer All-Academic
Devin Tatro Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Alix Vandeventer Women's Soccer All-Academic
Grace VanNoy Volleyball All-Academic
Sarah Warden Field Hockey All-Academic
David Wood Men's Soccer All-Academic
Andrew Wortham Men's Cross Country All-Academic

All Conference
John Murphy Men's Soccer Second Team
Elizabeth Arens Women's Soccer Second Team
Annie Burns Women's Soccer Second Team
Tully Hannan Men's Cross Country First Team
Andrew Wortham Men's Cross Country Second Team
Al Fereshestian Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year
John Squires Football First Team Offense
Kevin Helm Football First Team Defense
Kyle Starr Football Second Team Defense

All-Sportsmanship
Eric Kimball Men's Cross Country All-Sportsmanship
Merrill Brady Women's Cross Country All-Sportsmanship
Jillian Conway Field Hockey All-Sportsmanship
Pat Quinn Football All-Sportsmanship
Lee Smith Golf All-Sportsmanship
David Wood Men's Soccer All-Sportsmanship
Annie Burns Women's Soccer All-Sportsmanship
Cat Dioli Volleyball All-Sportsmanship